Although WordPress 2.5 includes some nice new features like better plugin management, full-text feeds, and built-in photo galleries, the most immediately obvious change is the sleek new look, which comes courtesy of Jeffery Zeldman and the Happy Cog design team.

All the core features from the old administration interface remain, but Zeldman and crew have done a nice job of making WordPress much sexier and easier to use.

For instance, the new dashboard page has been revamped and reorganized to make it more useful. Much of the clutter is gone and instead you can quickly see stats, incoming links, what's been published recently and any comments your users have left. If, like us, you tend to ignore the dashboard, it might be worth taking another look when you upgrade, especially since you can now customize it anyway you'd like.

The Write panel has also seen a significant overhaul. The core features remain, but the interface has been reorganized to move less common tools to the background. There's also a new fullscreen composing mode to reduce distractions while you're writing. While we still prefer an external editor like MarsEdit, the new Write panel is a huge step forward for those using the web interface.

The Happy Cog redesign also largely dispenses with the blue look from previous versions of WordPress in favor of warmer, friendlier shades of orange and gray. However, if you happen to prefer the old look, you can still get it back.

Although Mullenweg says the code base for WordPress 2.5 is “basically done and stable, and could be released today,” the WordPress developers want a few days to gather feedback before unleashing it to the world. Look for WordPress 2.5 to arrive later this week or early next.